The Present Disclosure relates, generally, to a card connector.
Conventional electronic devices may be provided with a card connector in order to use various memory cards. In some cases, conventional card connectors generally have a push/push structure from a perspective of easy handling so as to press-in a memory card to insert and remove the memory card. An example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2009-146701.
FIG. 9 also illustrates a conventional card connector. In the drawing, 811 is a housing for a card connector composed of an insulating material, and is provided with a plurality of connection terminals 851 composed of metal. Further, 861 is a card connector shell composed of a metallic sheet, and which is mounted on the upper side of the housing 811. Furthermore, a memory card 901 is inserted between the shell 861 and the housing 811, and made to contact with the connection terminals 851 that correspond to a contact pad 951 of the memory card 901.
As is shown, the card connector is a push/push type connector which has a guide mechanism to eject the memory card 901. The guide mechanism is provided with a sliding member 821 engaged with the memory card 901 so that it slides with the memory card 901, and also a coil spring 881 that biases the sliding member 821 in the direction of ejecting the memory card 901. Moreover, a cam groove of the heart cam mechanism is formed on the upper surface of the sliding member 821, and one end of a pin member 871 of the heart cam mechanism is engaged with the cam groove. In addition, the pin member 871 is held by being biased downward from the top by a leaf spring 865 of the shell 861. Further, the sliding member 821 is provided with a lever 822 where an engaging part 823 that is engaged with an engaging recess part 912 of the memory card 901.
When the memory card 901 is pushed into the housing 811, the memory card 901 is pressed in the inward direction (upper right direction in the drawing) of the housing 811. Subsequently, the engaging recess part 912 of the memory card 901 is engaged with the engaging part 823 of the lever 822 of the sliding member 821, and the sliding member 821 resists the repulsive force of the coil spring 881 and moves in the inward direction of the housing 811 with the memory card 901. Then, when the sliding member 821 stops due to one end of the pin member 871 being latched to the cam groove of the heart cam mechanism by an operation of the heart cam mechanism, the memory card 901 also stops in an inserted state within the housing 811.
When the memory card 901 removed from the housing 811, the state where one end of the pin member 871 is latched to the cam groove of the heart cam mechanism is released by being pushed. Accordingly, the sliding member 821 is freed and moves in the near side direction (left lower direction in the drawing) with the memory card 901 due to the force exhibited by the coil spring 881 so that the memory card 901 is ejected from the housing 811.
However, the conventional card connector requires installation of components to the housing 811 such as the sliding member 821, lever 822, pin member 871, coil spring 881 and the like to compose the guide mechanism. Therefore, the construction is complicated, the number of parts is increased, and the cost also increases. Further, the width of the housing 811 is wider by providing the guide mechanism for the memory card 901 causing the overall size of the card connector to increase as a result.
Accordingly, a card connector that omits the card guide mechanism has been proposed in recent years to reduce the size and price in conjunction with lower prices and smaller electronic devices. However, if the card guide mechanism is omitted and a user tries to press the card into the housing with a finger, it would be difficult to securely hold the card inside the housing. Consequently, for example, when an electronic device that mounts a card connector receives an impact, there is a risk of the card slipping out of place causing a contact failure between the contact pad and the connection terminal, or the entire card could slip out from the card connector.